- The Leaving Trains -
The Trains as they were in 1996.
(clockwise from front: Falling James; Jimmy Green; Allen Clark; Melanie Vammen)
Another band that I discovered via the SST catalogue, as well as a footnote in an old issue of Guitar World from a couple of years back. I know it seems shallow, but the name always sounded really cool - the kind of name you always wanted to give to your own band but got beaten to it, if you get what I mean. My first contact with them, however, was only about nine months ago when my shipment of SST t-shirts came with some free promo tapes (one of them being the Trains' 1994 album 'The Big Jinx'). I was very impressed, and wanted to hear more - I soon found 'Kill Tunes', their second album from 1986. The sound of both was basically punk - a bit more psychedelic and bluesy than average - but too catchy, too hummable to be lumped in with the likes of Black Flag, even in their jazzy phase. And besides, the first track of 'Kill Tunes' featured a string section!
Since then I've gotten more and more of their stuff - my favourites of these being their last album 'Smoke Follows Beauty' and, in my opinion their best album, 'Transportational D. Vices'. Quite simply, the Leaving Trains are an excellent band who have written some very memorable and influential tunes (check out Mark Lanegan's new album on Sub Pop if you don't believe me) despite remaining a strictly underground staple - although frontman Falling James has the notoriety of being married to Courtney Love for a year in the early nineties.
Oh yeah, and he's also a transvestite.
Check out the Leaving Trains Web Station - their official internet presence.